MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, was sworn in Tuesday as the State Senate’s new leader, and vowed to lead under a philosophy of “teamwork,” which he called his slogan, allowing for the majority position among the body to shape his own legislative priorities for this year.
Those priorities, Gudger previewed, are expected to be tackling the House Republicans’ “Alabama Values” policy agenda, which includes addressing crime, increasing labor participation, and opposing efforts to repeal existing election security laws.
“We’ve polled all of our colleagues, and when we got all of the information back, we really learned there were two overwhelming themes; protecting Alabama values and families, and number two, government efficiency and transparency, (which) I think we need more of in government,” Gudger said just outside the Senate Chamber at the State House in Montgomery.
Before Tuesday, the Senate pro tempore position had remained vacant since the resignation of the previous leader of the Senate, Sen. Greg Reed, a Republican from Jasper, who last November announced his departure to help lead the state’s new Department of Workforce. As such, senators were unable to file bills in the Legislature until Tuesday.
Gudger also named addressing illegal immigration as being another priority for the Senate this year, which he suggested would likely mirror efforts on the federal level under the President Donald Trump administration.
“On immigration, you’re looking at a couple of different things, we’ll mirror the federal government; most of the federal government is going after convicted felons, people with warrants, child molesters, and I think we have to do the same thing,” Gudger said. “Start at the top.”
Under the House Republicans’ Alabama Values policy agenda, improving public education was among the listed priorities, specifically as it relates to continuing accountability programs like the Literacy Act and the Numeracy. When asked to expand on improving public education as a priority, Gudger said it was essential as a means to meet the market demands for skilled labor.
“We want every child in every ZIP code to have access to good quality education so they have good-paying jobs when they get out, whether that’s K-12, the universities and higher education, or technical school,” he said.
Several floors below the Senate Chamber, members of the Alabama House briefly convened ahead of Gov. Kay Ivey’s State of the State address, held later that same day across the street in the Alabama State Capitol. Speaking with members of the press, House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter reaffirmed his commitment to the Alabama Values policy agenda, setting the stage for synergy between the two chambers in the coming weeks.
One notable omission from Alabama Republicans’ legislative priorities has been legislation to legalize gambling in the state. Gambling legislation passed through the House last year, but ultimately died in the Senate, leaving House leadership reluctant to take up the matter again.
While no legislation has yet to be introduced in the Senate to legalize gambling, Ledbetter said that it remains a topic of discussion among his chamber, and estimated that among members, about half were interested in taking up the matter again this year.
Expressing his own opinion on the matter, Gudger said that he did feel Alabama was missing out on significant revenue by not having legalized gambling in some form, but, deferring to his leadership philosophy of teamwork, said it would be a matter of the Senate’s majority position on the topic.
“If we’re going to talk about gaming, I think that Alabama is missing a lot of revenue, I think from the lottery, to sports betting to the bingo parlors or casinos,” he said. “I think we’re leaving a lot of money on the table where it’s going to other states. How we handle that as a Senate body, I’ll be doing what the majority of this body wants.”
Gudger was elected as Senate leader last December after a closed-door caucus vote, winning out over his legislative colleague Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro.